[Taxacom] Aus bus et al.

[Robin Leech]

Ed,

I am going to guess that these names were not "loaded", and therefore
when examples were given to students, the students could use the
examples without prejudice.

Let me give an examaple of what I mean.  A number of years ago, I
was giving a course in ecology, and I was using elk (Cervus elaphus) as
my example.  The question went something like this:
As the park warden, you are given the chore of enlarging the herd size
in 10 years from 1 male and 10 females to 300 elk.
Given that a female usually has 1 calf, but occasionally has 2; given that
the birth ratio is 1:1 males to females; given that a female can breed at
the end of her second summer; and a few more things of this nature.

LO!  One of the students had been a park warden in Jasper National
Park, and he blew my example to pieces.

So that night when I went home, I cooked up names of animals that had
no baggage, for example: mugwumps, ridge walkers, side-hill gougers, etc.

When I did this, then the students applied their theories and formulas 
without
argument.

I think A-us and B-us, or A-us b-us or whatever, were cooked up for the
same reasons - no taxonomic baggage attached.

Robin

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Edward J Cushing" <cushing at umn.edu>
To: <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008 5:37 PM
Subject: [Taxacom] Aus bus et al.


> From simple curiosity: What is the origin of the example names "Aus,"
> "bus," and their relatives? I know they are used as examples in the
> ICZN, but who is their author, when, and where?
>
> Ed
>
> Edward J. Cushing
> Professor Emeritus
> Dept. Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
> University of Minnesota
> 1987 Upper Buford Circle
> Saint Paul, MN 55108
> 612-625-5713
> cushing at umn.edu
>
> _______________________________________________
> Taxacom mailing list
> Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom